The meetings were held to commemorate the births and founding of these districts.
Regarding the transfer of the National Assembly from Congress to the National Theater on August 16 to swear in President Luis Abinader and Vice President Raquel Peña, legislators have met on occasion in different parts of the country.
Although there have been few joint meetings of parliamentarians outside the headquarters – in the National District building – the opposite is true separately, mainly in the Senate, which has fewer members (32) than the Chamber of Deputies (190 congressmen), which makes travel easier.
During the 2020-2024 four-year period, senators traveled to at least seven provinces to hold ordinary and extraordinary sessions, the most recent being held in Peravia on Wednesday, March 20 of this year.
At the request of outgoing Senator Milcíades Franjul (PRM-Peravia), the plenary session of the Upper House moved to the municipality of Baní, in the aforementioned province, in commemoration of the 260th anniversary of its founding.
In this ordinary session, which took place in the auditorium of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), the congressmen approved –among other initiatives- the bill that includes teleworking as a work modality in the Dominican Republic.
The Seibo
Likewise, the Senate held a regular session in El Seibo on November 7, 2023, to commemorate the 521st anniversary of its establishment and the 215th anniversary of the Battle of Palo Hincado.
The congressmen went there to comply with the draft resolution presented by Senator Santiago Zorrilla (PRM-El Seibo), which was accepted by the Plenary on September 13 of that year.
The president of the Upper House, Ricardo De los Santos (PRM-Sánchez Ramírez), highlighted that in the lands of El Seibo a heroic role was played “in making us who we are.” “The battle of Palo Hincado played a vital role in preserving the cultural legacy that is shown to the world,” he said.
Duarte
Likewise, on Wednesday, September 20, 2023, the senators traveled to the Duarte province, as mandated by a resolution submitted by colleague Franklin Romero (PRM-Duarte), on the occasion of the 245th anniversary of the founding of the demarcation.
The plenary session met at the theatre of the North-Eastern Catholic University.
The call to move the congressmen to the municipality of San Francisco de Macorís contributes to accentuate the local and national identity, and to bring those represented closer to that Power of the State, turning them into eyewitnesses of its functioning, De los Santos highlighted in his speech.
During legislative work, the Senate approved in first reading the project that names the new regional hospital of San Francisco de Macorís with the name of “Doctor Ángel María Gatón”, who was a doctor, researcher and professor from that municipality.
Several national figures who were born in the province received recognition plaques from the senatorial office.
Puerto Plata
On Friday, September 8, the Upper House moved to Puerto Plata for an extraordinary session held in the UASD auditorium, in honor of the 184th anniversary of the birth of the hero General Gregorio Luperón.
The resolution’s proponent is Ginnette Bournigal de Jiménez (PRM-Puerto Plata).
During the day, in addition to bills, several resolutions were approved in favor of the province, such as the one that recognizes Mr. Hermes Juan Ortiz Acevedo for his contributions to the development of the demarcation; the one that posthumously recognizes Mrs. Lilian Russo de Cueto, for her contributions to the development of the province; and the one that recognizes the economist Eduardo Fernández, for his successful career and great contributions in favor of the development of Playa Dorada as a tourist destination.
Maria Trinidad Sanchez
The Senate plenary held an extraordinary session on June 16, 2023 in the municipality of Nagua, where it approved in second reading the bill that declares María Trinidad Sánchez as an Ecotourism province, named in honor of the demarcation (where the senators were meeting).
The plenary session was held in commemoration of the 229th anniversary of the birth of the national heroine and at the request of Senator Alexis Victoria Yeb (PRM-María Trinidad Sánchez).
The legislative work took place in the auditorium of the UASD Regional University Center of Nagua. That day, the congressmen approved four resolutions proposed by Victoria Yeb, current spokesperson for the PRM in the Senate.
Mirabal Sisters
During their legislative day “tour”, the senators held an extraordinary session in the Hermanas Mirabal province, on Friday, November 25, 2022, on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the murder of Patria, Minerva and María Teresa Mirabal and the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.
The working meeting was held thanks to a resolution submitted by outgoing Senator Bautista Antonio Rojas Gómez (FP-Hermanas Mirabal). At the meeting, the draft resolution that pays tribute to the Mirabal sisters for their struggle in favor of democracy and freedom for the Dominican people was approved in a single reading.
San Cristobal
On the occasion of the 176th anniversary of the Constitution of the Republic, on November 6, 2020, the Senate held an extraordinary session that Friday in San Cristóbal, a district that is also known as the birthplace of the Magna Carta. The congressmen met in the Auditorium of the Loyola Polytechnic Institute of the province.
Franklin Rodríguez (FP-San Cristóbal) was the proponent of the transfer resolution, who also submitted other pieces that were sanctioned, such as the one that requests the Ministry of Sports to go to the aid of the San Cristóbal Sports Center and the resolution that grants a scroll of recognition to the Fire Department of the aforementioned demarcation, for its 80 years of service.
Some time later, Rodríguez introduced a new resolution to the National Congress to request another session in the province for November 6, 2022, on the occasion of the 178th anniversary of the proclamation of the 1844 Constitution. The Upper House endorsed the project, but the senatorial meeting did not take place.
Unlike the senators, the deputies did not hold sessions outside the headquarters during the current four-year term that ends on the evening of August 15.
They submitted resolutions and then withdrew them
Three senators withdrew the draft resolutions they had submitted to Congress, in which they requested the transfer of the Senate Plenary to their respective locations.
They are David Rafael Sosa Cerda (FP-Dajabón), on 11/22/2023; Martín Ediberto Nolasco Vargas (PRM-Valverde), on 11/14/2023; and Casimiro Antonio Marte Familia (PPG-Santiago Rodríguez), on 11/14/2023.
Santiago Rodríguez’s representative resubmitted the piece, which was sent to the committee.
